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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · leaves · firm · cold · ball · staff · rush · wound

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. firm — a company
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — hurry
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com